Use Those Antiques

Share your tales (tall or otherwise) of hunting adventures.

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Bruised
Posts: 180
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:50 am
Location: NE Oklahoma

Re: Use Those Antiques

Post by Bruised »

My father in law has a boxed muzzle loading side-by-side shotgun with barrels marked "twisted stubs". I can find no other info on the gun. In the fitted box are slug molds,powder and shot flasks, wads and punches and oil cans. He was doing a re-model on an old house and found the set inside a basement wall. The homeowner new nothing about it so gave it to him. I'd love to shoot this gun but since I can't find information I'd hate to destroy a cool old gun or myself.
Bobby
Christian, American, Heterosexual, Pro-Gun, Conservative.... Any questions?
mdeland
Posts: 11708
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 1:47 pm

Re: Use Those Antiques

Post by mdeland »

You can get a set of chamber gauges from Brownells that will drop in and tell you your chamber length. I have a set of them and have used them many times. Many of the old Damascus barrels actually had 2 1/2 an 2 5/8s chambers. Modern chambers are 2 3/4s, 3 and some in 3.5 inch lengths.
Also most old chambers, along with short lengths, had sharp forcing cone angles at chambers end which was necessary before the days of shot cups to make shot wadded loads preform correctly but with the advent of shot cups which seal bores much better and elevate pressure, they should be reamed to more gentile tapers. Also the longer forcing cone angles distort less lead shot spheres and make the loads more efficient.
Having said that I would be reluctant to ream a Damascus barrel for fear of what the reamer would cut into. These guns were made to shoot BP and wadded shot loads, they worked fine with the propellant they were designed for.
Another thing to watch for on doubles with Damascus or ribbon steel barrels is thin or corroded spots on the inside under the joining rib. These where hammer/forge welded around a mandrel with either twisted (true Damascus) or flat wound steel in a spiral and can have thin spots in places not able to be readily checked. MD
Woody
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Location: Freetown, Indiana

Re: Use Those Antiques

Post by Woody »

Don't modify the chambers of your original shotguns. Just load them with the shells they were designed to shoot. It's so easy to trim a modern 2 3/4 inch 12 gauge to 2 1/2 inches. With a "short kit" from MEC, you can easily load and crimp your shells. Your original shotgun was designed for them why not use them the way they were meant to be.

Woody
Richard A. Wood
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DAVE ROELLE
Posts: 678
Joined: Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:30 am
Location: CONROE TEXAS

Re: Use Those Antiques

Post by DAVE ROELLE »

One day i'll get a bit of time to carry this one down to Mr. Briley and see if i can put her back in service.

The history is that this L.C. Smith, was owned and shot in live pidgeon contests in central illinois by my great grandfather

It truly deserves being used once more :wink:

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Dave
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dm3280
Posts: 550
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:11 pm

Re: Use Those Antiques

Post by dm3280 »

I had a shotgun restored by a man named Buck Hamlin in Peveley, MO. Did beautiful work. Restored the stock, slow rust blued the barrels so that every strand stands out. Basically the gun looks better than new. He said because of the quality of the gun and the condition it would be safe to shoot. I believe him but I did have Briley tubes in taking it from a 12 ga to 20 ga. Added some weight though. I have shot it without the tubes but used BP. Have not taken it hunting yet but did take it a few times to the trap range. If you do put tubes in be ready for a lot of guys who will scold you for shooting a dangerous damascus shotgun. They don't see the Briley tubes

Mr Hamlin specializes in restoring damascus shotguns and restores guns from all over the world. Showed me one he did and was getting ready to ship back to England. It was gorgeous.
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